The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles which are adapted to contain body exudates. More particularly, the present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles which have fastening systems to maintain the articles about the waist of the wearer.
It is desired that absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants or incontinence garments provide a close, comfortable fit about the wearer and contain body exudates. Moreover, it is desirable that such absorbent articles, after being soiled, can be removed from the wearer in a convenient and clean manner without undesirably soiling the care giver or surrounding area such as the clothes of the wearer. In certain circumstances, it is also desirable that such absorbent articles are capable of being pulled up or down over the hips of the wearer to allow the wearer or caregiver to easily pull the article on and easily remove the article if it has not been soiled. For example, such absorbent articles can assist in the toilet training of children.
Conventional diapers have typically included a front waist portion and a back waist portion which are releasably connected about the hips of the wearer using conventional fasteners such as adhesive tape fasteners or hook and loop type fasteners. For example, the conventional fasteners have typically included a pair of fasteners, such as adhesive tape tabs, located on the outermost corners of the diaper in the back waist region of the diaper and a complimentary fastener, such as a taping panel, located on the outer surface of the outer cover of the diaper in the front waist portion of the diaper.
In such a configuration, the diaper has been positioned between the legs of the wearer and the adhesive tape tabs have been releasably attached to the taping panel to secure the back waist portion to the front waist portion of the diaper to secure the diaper about the waist of the wearer. Such conventional diapers are easy to fasten about and remove from the wearer after use without undesirably soiling the care giver. However, such conventional diapers typically are not capable of being pulled up or down over the hips of the wearer when the fasteners are attached.
Several attempts have been made to provide absorbent articles which effectively contain body exudates and are capable of being pulled up or down over the hips of the wearer. For example, some conventional absorbent articles, such as conventional training pants, have included integral side panels which connect the front waist portion to the back waist portion of the absorbent article. The side panels have been made stretchable such that the waist opening of the absorbent article can expand to allow the absorbent article to be pulled up or down over the hips of the wearer if desired. Such side panels have also been designed such that they may be torn to assist in removing the absorbent article from the wearer after it has been soiled.
However, many of such attempts have not been completely satisfactory. For example, absorbent articles such as training pants have not always been able to achieve a close conforming fit to the wearer while still being able to expand enough to be pulled up and down over the hips of the wearer. Often such training pants fit the waist of the wearer loosely which can undesirably result in leaks. Moreover, the removal of soiled absorbent articles which have integral side panels, such as conventional training pants, has not been completely satisfactory. For example, the side panels have been difficult to tear when attempting to remove the article from the waist of the wearer instead of pulling the article down over the hips of the wearer. As a result, many of such articles have not contained bodily exudates as effectively as conventional diaper-type articles which can be adjusted to achieve a more conforming fit to the wearer.
Accordingly, despite the attempts to develop improved absorbent articles, there remains a need for absorbent articles which effectively contain bodily exudates, which are capable of being pulled up and down over the hips and buttocks of the wearer, and which are readily secured about and removed from the wearer in a convenient and clean manner. Moreover, there is a need for disposable absorbent articles which include waist sections which are releasably prefastened such that the article can be pulled on over the wearers legs and which include adjustable fasteners which can be easily adjusted about the waist of a wearer after the article has been pulled on.
In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, a new disposable absorbent article which has an improved multi-functional fastening system has been discovered. In one aspect, the present invention concerns a prefastened disposable absorbent article comprising an absorbent, an interior surface configured to face a wearer""s body in use, an outer surface opposite said interior surface, a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region which extends between and connects the waist regions and a pair of laterally opposed side edges. The prefastened absorbent article further includes a multi-functional fastening system which includes a pair of primary fasteners and a secondary fastener. The primary fasteners are respectively located on the opposed side edges in one of the waist regions of the article. The primary fasteners are refastenably prefastened to the outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions of the disposable absorbent article to refastenably engage the front waist region to the back waist region during manufacture to define a waist perimeter dimension and to provide the prefastened disposable absorbent article. The secondary fastener is located in one of the waist regions and is configured to refastenably engage the outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions to reduce the waist perimeter dimension and conform the waist regions to a wearer""s body after the prefastened disposable absorbent article is pulled on over the wearer""s hips.
In another aspect, the present invention concerns a disposable absorbent article comprising an absorbent, an interior surface configured to face a wearer""s body in use, an outer surface opposite said interior surface, a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region which extends between and connects said the regions and a pair of laterally opposed side edges. The absorbent article further includes a multi-functional fastening system which includes a pair of primary fasteners, a belt segment and a pair of secondary fasteners. The primary fasteners are respectively located on the opposed side edges in one of the waist regions and are configured to outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions refastenably engage of the disposable absorbent article to refastenably engage the front waist region to the back waist region. The belt segment is located in one of the waist regions and defines an attached portion which is secured to the waist region along an attached length which is less than about 50 percent of a total length of said belt segment and laterally opposed end portions. The secondary fasteners are respectively located on the opposed end portions of the belt segment. The secondary fasteners are configured to refastenably engage the outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions to conform the waist regions to a wearer""s body after the primary fasteners are refastenably engaged.
In yet another aspect, the present invention concerns a disposable absorbent article comprising an absorbent, an interior surface configured to face a wearer""s body in use, an outer surface opposite said interior surface, a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region which extends between and connects the waist regions and a pair of laterally opposed side regions. The absorbent article includes an outer cover which provides said outer surface, an absorbent chassis and a multi-functional fastening system. The absorbent chassis includes a backsheet which is connected to the outer cover, a bodyside liner which is connected to the backsheet in a superposed relation and an absorbent core disposed between the backsheet and the bodyside liner. The multi-functional fastening system includes a pair of primary fasteners which are respectively located on the outer cover on the laterally opposed side edges of the back waist region of the absorbent article. The primary fasteners are configured to refastenably engage an outer surface of the absorbent article in the front waist region of the absorbent article in use. The fastening system also includes a belt segment which is located in the back waist region of the absorbent article and which defines an attached portion which is secured to the back waist region along an attached length which is less than about 50 percent of a total length of said belt segment and a pair of laterally opposed end portions. A pair of secondary fasteners are respectively located on the opposite end portions of the belt segment and are configured to refastenably engage the outer surface of the absorbent article in the front waist region to further conform the waist regions to a wearer""s body after the primary fasteners are refastenably engaged. In a particular embodiment, the laterally opposed end portions of the belt segment extend through slots in the back waist region onto an outer surface of the absorbent article. Each of the secondary fasteners and the opposite end portions of the belt segment may be configured to extend over the respective primary fasteners to refastenably engage the front waist region.
In still another aspect, the present invention concerns a package of prefastened disposable absorbent articles including a container and a plurality of the prefastened disposable absorbent articles. The prefastened articles comprise an absorbent, an interior surface configured to face a wearer""s body in use, an outer surface opposite said interior surface, a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region which extends between and connects the waist regions and a pair of laterally opposed side edges. Each of the prefastened disposable absorbent articles further includes a multi-functional fastening system which includes a pair of primary fasteners and at least one secondary fastener. The pair of primary fasteners are respectively located on the opposed side edges in one of the waist regions and are refastenably prefastened to the outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions of the disposable absorbent article to refastenably engage the front waist region to the back waist region during manufacture to define a waist perimeter dimension and the prefastened absorbent articles. A secondary fastener is located in one of the waist regions. The secondary fastener is configured to refastenably engage the outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions in use to reduce the waist perimeter dimension and conform the waist regions to a wearer""s body after the prefastened disposable absorbent article is pulled on over the wearer""s hips.
In yet another aspect, the present invention concerns a disposable absorbent article comprising an absorbent, an interior surface configured to face a wearer""s body in use, an outer surface opposite said interior surface, a front waist region, a back waist region, a crotch region which extends between and connects the waist regions and a pair of laterally opposed side edges. The absorbent article further includes a multi-functional fastening system which comprises a pair of primary fasteners and a waist size adjustment means for reducing the waist perimeter dimension of the article after the primary fasteners have been refastenably engaged. The pair of primary fasteners are respectively attached to and located on the opposed side edges in one of the waist regions and are configured to refastenably engage the outer surface in the waist region opposite the one of the waist regions of the disposable absorbent article in use to refastenably engage the front waist region to the back waist region during manufacture thereby defining the waist perimeter dimension. The waist size adjustment means located in one of the waist regions and configured to refastenably engage the outer surface of the absorbent article in a waist region opposite the one of the waist regions is configured to reduce the waist perimeter dimension of the absorbent article without releasing the primary fasteners in use to conform the waist regions to a wearer""s body after the primary fasteners are refastenably engaged to said outer surface in the opposite waist region to secure the absorbent article about a wearer""s waist. In a particular embodiment, the primary fasteners are prefastened such that the absorbent article may be pulled on over the hips of the wearer. The waist size adjustment means may include at least one secondary fastener which is located in one of said the regions and which is configured to refastenably engage the opposite waist region.
The present invention advantageously provides an absorbent article which includes a multi-functional fastening system. The fastening system can be used to releasably engage the front and back waist portions of the absorbent article to maintain the absorbent article about the waist of the wearer in a similar manner to conventional diapers. The fastening system can also be prefastened to releasably engage the front and back waist portions to allow the absorbent article to be pulled up or down over the hips of the wearer such as conventional training pants. As a result, the absorbent article of the present invention is designed to conform to the body of the wearer to effectively contain bodily exudates while still being capable of being pulled up or down over the hips of the wearer to assist in the toilet training of the wearer. Moreover, the absorbent article of the present invention can advantageously be applied to and removed from the wearer with relative ease and cleanliness.